Rack



Feb. 7, 1933. w M VANCE 1,896,600

RACK

Filed July 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l )14 MQMTM v 172 06223 mllrflfyance 1933- w. N. VANCE 1,896,600

' RACK Filed July 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE;

. WALTER N. VANCE, or NORTH AURORA, InrInoIs, nssreno'n T Lyon IIE'rAIi rnonuc'rs, INCQRPORA'IED, or AURORA, ILLINOIS, a CORPORATION or ILLIIIoIs Baez v Application filed m 29,

This invention relates to racks in general and particularly to a rack of'the table type having drawers arranged therein.

The object of the invention is'to provide a rackwhich strong and durable, which can be easily and economically assembled, a;nd which can be economically manufactured.

Another object is to provide a rack having a returned flanged top which has interfitting relation with the rails.

Another object is to provide a rack which has the longitudinal rails thereof continuous, in which drawersmay be arranged without weakening the rail.

Another 0b]ect is to provide a rack having a longitudinal front rail, which is made of a. plurality of parts or sections, some of which can be disconnected to receive drawers and othersections inserted in the front rail to fill in the spaces between the drawers.

A further object is to provide a rack which is composed of a plurality of interfitting and interengaging parts which are arranged in a particular manner so that drawers may be or table having a top which is returned. flanged on'its four sides to receive flanged ends on the rails. A continuous front rail extends across the entire front of the rack and it is provided with a disconnectable .cen-

ter portion which may be removed to provide spaces for slidingdrawers, The space between the drawers is filled in with sections port atop 1'5. j

19 2 9. Serial No. 381,755.,

which are flush with the top and bottom meme bers ofthe front rail.

The accompanying drawings illust'rate a selected embodiment of the invention and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the table or rack.

Fig. 2 is a side or end view thereof.

the line 33 of Fig, 1. 1F ig. 4 is a transverse linelH of Fig. 1. 7 V

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the line Fig. 3 is a transversefsectional view on a 5511 sectional view on the 5- 5" of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is adetail perspective view of one ofthe drawers. l

' Fig. 7 is adetail sectional view showing the manner-in which the intermediate rails are fastened in place.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2 and shows the side rails.

Fig.9 is a detail view showing the man ner in which the outer'rails are connected to the legs. 7

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a rack or table having a front rail 11, side or'end rails 12, 12, and a back rail 13. Legs Mare connected to thes'e rails which sup- The top extends eyond the faces of all ofthe'ra'ils and is bent downwardly at;16 to provide the depending flanges 17 which is also bentto form an inturned flange or lip 18. The front rail '11, Fig. 3, is made up of a top member 19, a bottom member 20, and an intermediate member 21, all of which extend the full length of therack. The upper mem'-' ber 19 has an outwardly extending flange 22 which carries the downturned depending flange 23 and isarranged in the returned flanged end of the top 15. When the member.

19 is arranged in position in the top, the flange 22 engages the underside of the top 15,

and the flange 23 engages the inside of thetop v flange 1'1 "with its-lower edge arranged inside of the lip 18. The bottom member 20 has inwardly extending upper and lower legs 24 and 25. The upper flange 24 is connected to the lower flange 26 on the intermediate member 21 by means of rivets or bolts 27, and an upper inturned flange 28 on the intermediate member 21 is fastened by means of rivets or bolts 29 to an inturned leg or flange 30 formed on the member 19.

The rear rail 13, Fig. 7, has an inturned bottom flange or leg 31 and an outturned top flange or leg 32 which is bent downwardly to provide the depending flange or lip 33. This rail is received in the returned flanged end of the top 15. WVhen the rail is in place in the top, the flange 32 will engage the underside of the top 15 and the lip 33 will en gage the inside of the top flange 17. The side or end rails 12, Fig. 8, which embody the same construction as the rear rails, are also provided with an upper outturned flange 34 and a downturned depending flange or lip 35 which is received in the returned flanged end of the top. A lower inturned flange 36 is provided on the bottom of the end rails similar to the lower flanges provided on the other rails.

The legs 14 are preferably made of angle irons and the rails are directly fastened to the legs of the angles. The legs extend all the way up to the top and engage the underside of the outturned top flanges of the rails. The lower flanges of the rails, Fig. 9, are notched or cut opposite the outer edges of the rails as indicated at 37. The portion of the flange metal which is located inside of the leg is turned down and provides the downwardly extending portion 38 which is in the same vertical plane as the web of the rail. This arm 37 is directly connected to the leg by means of fastening means 39. By providing this downwardly extending portion 38, a substantial increase in the vertical bolt spacing is ac complished. The downturned portion can either be turned down after the flange is provided, or else the flat metal may be first notched and the portion lying inwardly can be turned out to provide the flange. The portion 37 can be provided without any additional cost and without any loss of knee room under the rail.

The intermediate rail member 21 of the rail 11 is formed of a plurality of horizontally disposed sections, which are connected at their tops and bottoms through the upper and lower rail portions respectively, so that by arranging these sections as desired, that is, by omitting certain of the horizontal intermediate sections as desired, the gaps or spaces left by the omission of such sections may be replaced by drawers. The drawers 40 are preferably made of sheet metal which is bent up to provide a front 41, back 42, and side flanges 43 which extend upwardly from the bottom 44. The front and back are provided with inturned top flanges 45 and 46 and side flanges 47 and 48 respectively. Sides 49 having beaded upper edges 50 are welded or otherwise fastened to the bottom flanges 43 on the bottom and to the side flanges 47 and 48 on the front and back respectively. The front flange 45, Fig. 4, may be bent downwardly to provide a depending flange or lip 51 to further reinforce the drawer and a handle 52 may be arranged on the front 41, as clearly shown on the drawings.

At the sides of each drawer, cross rails 53, Figs. 5 and 7, are provided to strengthen the rack and to support the angles 54 which act as drawer slides or supports. The cross rails 53, Figs. 3 and 4, are provided with slots 55 on their front edges to receive the inturned flanges on the front rail. These rails are also provided with upper legs 56, Fig. 5, to support the top 15, and lower legs 57 formed on the bottom of the cross rails rest on the inturned flanges on the front and rear rails, and are fastened thereto by means of bolts 58 or the like. Angle clips 59, Fig. 7, may be bolted to the cross rails and to the front and rear rails at the upper corners thereof to rigidly hold the cross rails in place.

Stops 60, Fig. 4, may be fastened to the slides 54 to limit the inward movement of the drawers.

The front rail extends the full length of the rack and as many drawers as are desired may be arranged in the rack by merely making the intermediate member 21 into sections. In the present case only two drawers are shown but more drawers can easily be pro vided, or only one drawer may be supplied. If a third drawer is desired, the central portion of the intermediate member is replaced with a pair of smaller members which will be arranged between the present drawers shown and the third drawer (not shown). If only one drawer is required, the intermediate member will be composed of only two sections instead of the three sections where two drawers are used, as shown. Or, if no drawers are required, the intermediate member is made in one continuous piece. By furnishing the required number and size of sections any number of drawers may be mounted in the rack by arranging the cross rails 53 in place and applying the drawer slides on the cross rails.

In assembling the structure, the top is laid on the floor and the rails are connected to the top by having the flanges on the rails interfitting with the returned flange on the top. The legs are then bolted to the ends of the rails as previously described and the erection is complete except for the cross rails which are added to increase the strength of the structure. These cross rails also provide runners or slides for the number of drawers required.

The invention comprises a table or-rack which is exceedingly strong and durable in construction, which provides means for accommodating a plurality of drawers by merely adding or substituting additional parts, which interfit with other parts of the rack. While the front rail extends continuously acrossthe entire front ofthe. rack, its construction prevents the table from sagging and permits a plurality of drawers to be arranged in place in a simple and convenient manner.

In the foregoing construction my improved rail structure permits the manufacture of a rack of a table or desk type adapted to accommodate any desired arrangement of drawer construction. By providing a plurality of rails along the desired side of the rack on which the drawers are to be placed, and by forming the rails of adjacent continuous and sectional construction, that is, by forming certain of the rails in a manner so as to integrally extend the length of such rack side and by forming one of the rails, preferably the intermediate rail, of horizontally arranged spaced apart sections which may be of the sectional unit type, any one or more of these sections may be replaced by a drawer or drawers, so that in this manner the side of the table or desk is adequately supported, and at the same time the drawers may be placed at selected points along the side. In this way the continuous lengths of the stand ard table or desk may be carried in stock, since they are always the same length and height, and by providing the intermediate rail section of standardized units, any arrangement of drawers may be provided, since these sections may be assembled in many different relations, the sections constituting fillers when the drawers are not used in another space. It will be seen that the top and bottom rail members lend strength and rigidity to the rack as a whole, and in addition support the intermediate rail, which later provides the drawer space.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A rack having a plurality of rails, one of said rails comprising upper, lower, and intermediate members, a top for said rails, a bottom flange on said upper member, a top flange on said lower member, and top and bottom flanges on said intermediate member and. fastened to the bottom and top flanges on said upper and lower members respectively.

2. A rack having a plurality of rails, one of said rails comprising upper, lower, and

. intermediate members said intermediate member including horizontally disposed sections, certain of which are spaced apart, a top for said rails, a bottom flange on said upper member,- a top flange on said lower member, top and bottom flanges on said intermediate member and fastened to the bottom andtop flanges on said upper and lower members respectively, and a drawer having sliding en'- gagement between the top and bottom members of said front rail and being disposed between .the spaced apart sections of the intermediate member.

3. A. rack having a plurality of rails, one of saidv rails comprising upper, lower, and intermediate members said intermediate member including horizontally disposed sections, certain of which are spaced apart, a top forsaid rails, a bottom flange on said upper member, a top flange on said lower member, top and bottom flanges on said inter- V mediate member and fastened to the bottom and top flanges on said upper and lower membersrespectively, a drawer having sliding engagement between the top and bottom members ofsaid rail and being disposed between the spaced apart sections of the intermediate member, andcross rails supported by some of said rails and arranged on each side. of said drawer, and drawer slides on said cross rails.

4. A rack comprising a front rail, top and bottom members for said rail, an intermediate member arranged between said top and bottom members said intermediate member including horizontally disposed sections, certain of which are spaced apart, inturned flanges on all of said members, means for connecting said intermediate member sections to said top and bottom members, cross rails supported by said front rail and having slots therein to'receive'the inturned flanges, and a drawer mounted between said cross rails and being disposed between the spaced apart sections of the intermediate member.

5. A rack comprising a plurality of rails, a top and legs connected to said rails, one of said rails comprising upper and lower mem bers, an intermediate member arranged between said top and bottom members said 1 said rails comprising upper andlower members, an intermediatemember arranged between said top and bottom members said intermediate member including horizontally disposed sections spaced apart, inturned flanges on said members, means passing through said flanges for holding said mem bers together, and cross rails having slots therein for receiving said inturned flanges.

7. A rack comprising a plurality of rails, a top and legs connected to said rails, one of said rails comprising upper and lower members, an intermediate member arranged between said top and bottom members, inturned flanges on said members, means passing through said flanges for holding said members together, cross rails having slots therein for receiving said inturned flanges, drawer slides fastened to said cross rails, and a drawer mounted on said slides between the top and bottom members and being disposed between the spaced apart sections of the intermediate member.

8. A rack comprising a plurality of rails, atop and legs connected to said rails, one of said rails comprising upper and lower members, an intermediate member arranged be tween said top and bottom members, said intermediate member including spaced apart sections, inturned flanges on said members, means passing through said flanges for holding said members together, cross rails having slots therein for receiving said inturned flanges, drawer slides fastened to said cross rails, a drawer mounted on said slides between the top and bottom members and located in the space between said spaced apart sections of the intermediate member, and a stop mounted on said slides for limiting the inward movement of said drawer.

9. A rack comprising a front rail, top and bottom members for said rail, an intermediate member arranged between said top and bottom members, said intermediate member having horizontally disposed sections certain of which are spaced apart, inturned flanges on all of said members, means for connecting said intermediate member to said top and bottom members, cross rails supported by said front rail and having slots therein to receive the inturned flanges, a drawer mounted between said cross rails and being disposed between the spaced apart sections of the intermediate member, an outturned flange on said top member, a lip on said outturned flange, and a top having returned flanged sides thereon and engaging the flange and lip on said top member.

10. In a device of the class described, including rails, legs supporting said rails, and a top mounted on said rails, one of said rails having interconnected upper, lower, and intermediate sections, said intermediate sections being formed of a series of horizontally extending interconnecting sections whereby one of said horizontal sections may be omitted to provide a space for a drawer.

11. In a device of the class described, having rails, a top, and legs, one of the rails being formed of a plurality of independent horizontally extending sections detachably 

